Matthew McConaughey on gay fans, gay rumors and playing a male stripper

Actor Matthew McConaughey plays the owner of a strip club – and a star stripper himself – in the upcoming feature film Magic Mike which features a cast of hunks including Channing Tatum, Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello and Alex Pettyfer.

The 42-year-old, who has a big striptease number at the end of the film, was asked by The Advocate who in the cast is the hottest. He laughed then answered that that he is.

‘Everybody was pretty damn ripped already, but boy, if you really want to get men in great shape, just tell them they’re going to play male strippers in a movie and have their shit onscreen for the rest of time. Vanity, baby.’

Even though the first trailer released for the filmed showcased a love story between Tatum’s character and a woman, McConaughey says gays will find plenty to enjoy.

‘They should be pumped, and they should come out in droves, because they won’t be let down,’ he says. ‘I think they’ll come out more excited then they came in. I look forward to hearing the chatter of the gay community after they see it, including their answer to your question of who’s the hottest.’

Before he got married and became a father of two, McConaughey spent a lot of time with cyclist Lance Armstrong and shirtless photos of the pair working out led to rumors that perhaps there was more than a bromance going on between them.

McConaughey was unfazed.

‘Well, I’m really secure in my skin,’ he says. ‘I’m heterosexual, and I’m just fine with that. Those rumors have to make the rounds, and I know that I was fun target for them.’

But he is appreciative of his gay fan base which he became aware of with one of his early films, Boys on the Side. It has only grown through such hits as A Time to Kill, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and Failure to Launch.

‘It’s much appreciated,’ he says of his gay fans. ‘You know, I have some good friends of my own who happen to be gay, and when it comes to gay, straight, or whatever, I’m for anything life-affirmative. I’m for gay power, straight power, male power, female power; everybody should feel empowered without oppressing anyone who’s different. You know those World Cup banners about tolerance? I always thought that was one short. No, don’t just tolerate me. Understand and accept me.’